Dec. 11, 2001 – Tokyo, Japan – Toshiba Corp., and Sony Corp. have jointly developed a next-generation transistor enabling high-speed operation and low power consumption, according to the companies.

The new transistor uses 0.10-micron technology, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported. As a result, its operating speed is faster than that of conventional transistors.

In addition, researchers from the two companies modified the structure to minimize electric current leaks at such places as the gate and drain when the transistor is off, the companies said. Moreover, phosphorus was used as the dopant instead of the traditional arsenic, reducing the rate of defects at the junction, the primary cause of electric current leaks.

The new transistor can easily be integrated into the same chips as large-capacity DRAM necessary in graphics processing and analog circuits indispensable for data communications, the companies said.

Toshiba and Sony aim to commercialize the transistor as early as September 2002 for use in system chips for advanced cellular phones.